31 JULY 2020 VOLUME 22 ISSUE 30

Media Coverage

• Top 10 Articles on HIV Prevention From AIDS 2020

  The 23rd International AIDS conference was held virtually in July 2020 and presented some interesting news in HIV prevention. In case you were not able to access the conference, the following ten articles detail some important updates:

  July 31, 2020

  PrEP, Treatment

  aidsmap

• In Race for Vaccine, African Countries Fear Coming In Last

  Political leaders across the world have said everybody, everywhere, should be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. But across Africa, health officials are growing increasingly concerned they won’t be able to afford the potentially life-saving therapies currently under development.

  July 31, 2020

  General

  Politico

• Top 5 HIV Cure and Vaccine Stories From AIDS 2020

  The recent 23rd International AIDS Society conference, also known as AIDS 2020, presented the latest research towards the development of an HIV cure and vaccine.

  July 30, 2020

  HIV Vaccine, Cure

  aidsmap

• The Vaginal Ring Against HIV: Regulatory Approval for a New Prevention Choice for Women

  The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has announced a “positive benefit-risk opinion” on the use of the vaginal ring containing the anti-HIV medication dapivirine. The ring is the first HIV prevention option specifically designed for women since the female condom was approved nearly 30 years ago.

  July 30, 2020

  Microbicides, PrEP

  aidsmap

• UPDATED: Will People With HIV Be Excluded From COVID-19 Vaccine Trials?

  As the world waits with baited breath for a safe and effective vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, people living with HIV are concerned that they may be excluded from clinical trials testing these vaccines.

  July 30, 2020

  General

  POZ

• Uganda Achieves HIV Ambitious Treatment Target

  Uganda is one of the ten countries globally to achieve the 2nd 90 and 3rd 90 by enrolling 90 percent on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 90 percent viral suppression, and is one point less to achieve the 1st 90.

  July 29, 2020

  Male and Female Condoms, PrEP, Treatment

  New Vision

• What Are the New HIV Treatment and Prevention Drugs Under Development in 2020?

  Every year, Treatment Action Group (TAG) releases a Pipeline Report, and this year is no different. The annual report provides an overview of research and development of innovations for diagnosing, preventing, treating, and potentially curing HIV as well as hepatitis C and tuberculosis.

  July 28, 2020

  Cure, Microbicides, PrEP, Treatment

  The BodyPro

• Knowledge About HIV Doesn’t Always Change Adolescents’ Behaviour: Peers Matter

  HIV and AIDS remain major global public health challenges, especially for sub-Saharan Africa. The region accounts for around 70 percent of the world’s burden of infections. Young people, especially young women, are affected more than other groups.

  July 28, 2020

  General

  The Conversation

• Stigma Around HIV Still Rampant in US, Study Finds

  Nearly nine out of 10 Americans believe there is still stigma around HIV, while 59 percent think it is important to be careful around people who are HIV positive, a study published on Monday found.

  July 27, 2020

  General

  Reuters

• More Than Half of Americans Still Believe Dangerous Myths About HIV

  We still have a long way to go in combatting HIV/AIDS stigma, according to a new report from GLAAD. The advocacy group’s first State of HIV Stigma Study surveyed more than 2,500 Americans over the age of 18 about their knowledge and opinions regarding HIV/AIDS and people living with HIV. And its results are staggering: In 2020, nearly six out of 10 Americans wrongfully believe that “it is important to be careful around people living with HIV to avoid catching it.”

  July 27, 2020

  General

  NewNowNext

• Dapivirine Vaginal Ring Gets Nod for HIV Prevention Among Women

  A vaginal ring that has been undergoing trials has been given approval by the European Medicines Agency to be used as an HIV prevention method among women who have tested negative.

  July 25, 2020

  Microbicides

  The Independent

• COVID-19 Fight Undoing Gains Made in HIV War, Ministry Says

  Interruption of access to antiretroviral (ARV) drugs as a result of the war on COVID-19 may undo the gains the country has made in fighting HIV/AIDS.

  July 24, 2020

  Daily Nation

• A Tale of Two Pandemics: Is COVID-19 Repeating the Mistakes of HIV’s Past?

  Aupa Noge opens the combi door and steps out onto the payment. It’s early but the Durban air is already warm and humid. The van has come to rest in front of an old industrial park surrounded by panel beaters, taverns and takeaway stalls.

  July 24, 2020

  General

  Bhekisisa

Published Research

• COVID-19 Has “Devastating” Effect on Women and Girls

  As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates, fears are increasing about the effect of the pandemic on women's and girls' sexual and reproductive health and their access to care. In response to COVID-19, in March, WHO issued interim guidance for maintaining essential services during an outbreak, which included advice to prioritise services related to reproductive health and make efforts to avert maternal and child mortality and morbidity.

  August 1, 2020

  General

  Lancet

• DISCOVER: Much Accomplished, but Not Yet for All

  Since the initial studies of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) a decade ago, multiple clinical trials in all key populations worldwide have confirmed the efficacy and safety of emtricitabine combined with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (F/TDF) for HIV prevention.

  July 31, 2020

  PrEP

  Lancet

• Reaching a Different Population of MSM in West Africa With the Integration of PrEP Into a Comprehensive Prevention Package. (CohMSM-PrEP ANRS 12369 – Expertise France)

  The introduction of PrEP as an additional prevention tool, and the use of peer-based outreach services over time, influenced the type of participant signing up for a community-based HIV prevention cohort in West Africa. Adding these elements to existing interventions in SSA could be the key to reaching MSM marginalized from HIV prevention and care programs.

  July 31, 2020

  PrEP

  JAIDS

• Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U = U): Awareness and Associations With Health Outcomes Among People Living With HIV in 25 Countries

  HCP discussion of U=U with PLHIV was associated with favourable health outcomes. However, missed opportunities exist since a third of PLHIV reported not having any U=U discussion with their HCP. U=U discussions with PLHIV should be considered as a standard of care in clinical guidelines.

  July 30, 2020

  Treatment

  Sexually Transmitted Infections

• Availability, Accessibility, and Quality of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Services in Urban Health Facilities of Rwanda: A Survey Among Social and Healthcare Providers

  SRH services in Rwanda are available for the general population and are not specifically designed for adolescents. These SRH services seem to be fairly accessible to adolescents with insufficient quality as adolescents themselves do not get to be fully involved in service provision among other aspects of quality SRH as stated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, there is a need to improve the present quality of these services to meet adolescents’ needs in an urban setting.

  July 29, 2020

  General

  BMC Health Services Research

• Cost Variations in Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Services Integrated Within Maternal and Child Health Services in Rural Tanzania

  PMTCT service costs varied widely across facilities due to variations in resource use, number of women testing, and HIV prevalence. The study provides further evidence against generalising cost estimates, and that budgeting and planning requires context specific cost information.

  July 29, 2020

  Treatment

  Global Public Health

• Sexual Subcultures and HIV Prevention Methods: An Assessment of Condom Use, PrEP, and TasP Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Using a Social and Sexual Networking Smartphone Application

  Findings suggest that sexual subcultural identity is related to decision-making around HIV prevention among GBM. Differences in HIV prevention strategies are likely a function of group norms, unique shared experiences among GBM identifying with a particular sexual subculture community, and sociodemographic characteristics associated with these groups. As such, sexual subculture identity should be considered in developing interventions and social marketing campaigns to increase uptake of biomedical HIV prevention tools among GBM. Identifying group norms and shared experiences related to HIV prevention practices among sexual subcultures is necessary to understand the role these identities play in lives of GBM, especially as it relates to their sexual health and well-being.

  July 29, 2020

  Male and Female Condoms, PrEP, Treatment

  Archives of Sexual Behavior

• Marketing of Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) Lawsuits and Social Media Misinformation Campaigns’ Impact on PrEP Uptake Among Gender and Sexual Minority Individuals

  Black, Latinx, and/or multiracial individuals were most likely to be negatively impacted by the ads including perceptions that these ads made them think PrEP is not safe. In contrast, past year experience taking PrEP was positively associated with intentions to start and/or stay on PrEP despite seeing the ads. Due to forthcoming affordable/generic options, TDF/FTC is projected to become the most scalable option for disseminating PrEP to key populations. Results suggest that ads for TDF lawsuits on social media are having a negative impact on individual PrEP decision-making. Our findings highlight the urgency for accurate and balanced messaging on the benefits and risks of PrEP, so that individuals can make informed choices about whether PrEP is right for them.

  July 29, 2020

  PrEP

  AIDS and Behavior

• Investigating the Implementation of Differentiated HIV Services and Implications for Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Mixed Methods Multi-Country Study

  Interview data suggested some implementation of differentiated services for pregnant and postpartum women beyond stipulated policies in all settings. Although these adaptations were appreciated by pregnant and postpartum women, they could lead to frustrations among other users when criteria for fast-track services or multi-month prescriptions were not clear.

  July 29, 2020

  General

  Global Public Health

• Trends in HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Prescribing in the United States, 2012-2018

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 1.1 million US individuals might benefit from PrEP, but only 7 of those used it in 2016. Clinicians have been slow to prescribe PrEP, citing concerns regarding its effectiveness outside a clinical trial setting, unintended consequences, and ambiguity surrounding which type of clinician is best suited to prescribe PrEP. Using a commercial insurance database, this study examined trends in the number of persons prescribed PrEP, prescriptions for PrEP, and specialty of prescribing clinicians.

  July 28, 2020

  PrEP

  JAMA

• The Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Consciousness of Black College Women and the Perceived Hesitancy of Public Health Institutions to Curtail HIV in Black Women

  Results indicate that Black college women would strongly consider PrEP when provided with basic knowledge, regardless of delivery modality. Participants also showed greater appreciation for in-person delivery and found it to be significantly more helpful and of greater quality for learning about PrEP; comprehension or perceived usefulness of PrEP-related content was relatively the same between groups. PrEP content delivery—via in-person or online methods—is contingent on learning style and presentation.

  July 28, 2020

  PrEP

  BMC Public Health

• Interactions of Monocytes, HIV, and ART Identified by an Innovative scRNAseq Pipeline: Pathways to Reservoirs and HIV-Associated Comorbidities

  Our data provide a novel method for simultaneous detection of HIV and host transcripts. We identify potential targets, such as those genes whose expression is increased in HIV+ mature monocytes compared to HIVexp, to block their entry into tissues, preventing establishment/replenishment of HIV reservoirs even with ART, thereby reducing and/or eliminating viral burden and HIV-associated comorbidities. Our data also highlight the heterogeneity of mature monocyte subsets and their potential contributions to HIV pathogenesis in the ART era.

  July 28, 2020

  Treatment

  mBio

• The Potential of Immune Modulation in Therapeutic HIV-1 Vaccination

  The current success of immune checkpoint blockers in cancer therapy renders them very attractive to use in HIV-1 infected individuals with the objective to preserve the function of HIV-1-specific T cells from exhaustion and presumably target the persistent cellular reservoir. The major latest advances in our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for virus reactivation during therapy-suppressed individuals provide the scientific basis for future combinatorial therapeutic vaccine development.

  July 27, 2020

  Therapeutic Vaccines

  Vaccines

• Protection at First Sexual Intercourse Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Kenya

  No AGYW mentioned parents/adults as playing any role as facilitators of protection use at first sex, highlighting the need for further research on the missing gap. The AGYW were trusting of verbal reports by male partners describing themselves as having never engaged in sex, HIV negative, and free of STIs. We found that some AGYW were empowered to plan, discuss, and request protection at first sex, and others did not take agency.

  July 27, 2020

  General

  Archives of Sexual Behavior

• Engineering Antibody-Based Molecules for HIV Treatment and Cure

  Recently engineered antibody-based molecules of different sizes and structures show promise in vitro or in vivo and are encouraging candidates for HIV treatment.

  July 27, 2020

  Antibody Related Research, Cure, Treatment

  Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS

• Roles of Fragment Crystallizable-Mediated Effector Functions in Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Activity Against HIV

  The combination of antibody engineering strategies designed to enhance effector functions, with the broad and potent antigen recognition profile of bNAbs, has the potential to give rise to powerful new therapeutics for HIV. We aim to provide a timely review of recent advances to catalyze this development.

  July 27, 2020

  Antibody Related Research

  Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS

• Acceptability of Oral HIV Self-Testing Among Female Sex Workers in Gaborone, Botswana

  HIVST shows high acceptability among FSWs in Gaborone Botswana, with providers expressing some concerns. Implementation should be peer-driven with healthcare provider oversight.

  July 27, 2020

  General

  PLOS One

• Examining Adherence Barriers Among Women With HIV to Tailor Outreach for Long-Acting Injectable Antiretroviral Therapy

  Current injectable contraceptive users (vs. non-users) had greater odds of oral ART adherence (aOR: 1.87) and viral suppression (aOR: 1.28). Findings identify profiles of women who may benefit from and be interested in LA ART. Further research is warranted focused on the uptake and utility of LA ART for such key subpopulations of women at high need for innovative approaches to achieve sustained viral suppression.

  July 25, 2020

  Treatment

  BMC Women's Health

• Spatial Analysis of Factors Associated With HIV Infection in Malawi: Indicators for Effective Prevention

  These findings identify high-risk populations and regions to be targeted for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) campaigns, HIV testing, treatment and education to decrease incidence, morbidity, and mortality related to HIV infection in Malawi.

  July 25, 2020

  PrEP

  BMC Public Health

• Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Alafenamide vs Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (DISCOVER): Primary Results From a Randomised, Double-Blind, Multicentre, Active-Controlled, Phase 3, Non-Inferiority Trial

  Daily emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide shows non-inferior efficacy to daily emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for HIV prevention, and the number of adverse events for both regimens was low. Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide had more favourable effects on bone mineral density and biomarkers of renal safety than emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate.

  July 25, 2020

  PrEP

  Lancet

• Development of a Global Index Measuring National Policy Commitments to HIV Prevention and Treatment Among People Who Inject Drugs

  The HPPI documented substantial national and regional variation in policy responses to the HIV epidemic among PWID. Our analysis also revealed that many countries have limited HIV/AIDS data collection and monitoring capabilities. Continued enhancement and standardization of global HIV/AIDS monitoring efforts are therefore vital to articulated national and international benchmarking and performance assessment goals.

  July 24, 2020

  General

  International Journal of Drug Policy

• Real-Time Monitoring and Just-in-Time Intervention for Adherence to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in China: A Multicentre RCT Study Protocol

  Medication adherence is critical to achieve optimal benefits from PrEP. This study will be the first individualised behaviour intervention using real-time technology to increase adherence among MSM PrEP users globally. If found effective, a real-time monitoring and just-in-time intervention system may be utilized for improving adherence and thus effectiveness of global PrEP application.

  July 24, 2020

  PrEP

  BMC Public Health

• Changes in Condom Use Among Males Who Have Sex With Males (MSM): Measuring the Effect of HIV Prevention Programme in Dhaka City

  To sustain positive changes in HIV risk behaviours, HIV prevention programmes for MSM need to be continued and strengthened.

  July 24, 2020

  Male and Female Condoms

  PLOS One

• Single Oral Dose for HIV Pre or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis: User Desirability and Biological Efficacy in Macaques

  Informed by user willingness, human and macaque pharmacokinetic data, and preclinical efficacy we show that single-dose prophylaxis before or after sex is a promising HIV prevention strategy. Carefully designed clinical trials are needed to determine if any of these strategies will be effective in humans.

  July 21, 2020

  PrEP

  EBioMedicine

• Nanoparticles Presenting Clusters of CD4 Expose a Universal Vulnerability of HIV-1 by Mimicking Target Cells

  Here we propose that nanoparticle-based therapeutics that mimic HIV-1 target cells by presenting clusters of CD4, the HIV-1 receptor, could prevent effective viral escape. We show that CD4 multimerization on the nanoparticle dramatically enhanced the neutralization potency and breadth compared with conventional CD4-based reagents that present only one or two copies of CD4. The CD4 nanoparticles neutralized a range of diverse HIV-1 strains, including patient isolates resistant to multiple broadly neutralizing antibodies.

  July 20, 2020

  Cure

  PNAS

• Topical Tenofovir Pre-exposure Prophylaxis and Mucosal HIV-Specific Fc-Mediated Antibody Activities in Women

  Our previous findings of increased HIV specific antibody detection and titres in women who used tenofovir gel, and the limited differences in nNAb activities between the arms, suggest that prior PrEP did not modulate these nNAb functions post-HIV seroconversion. Together these data provide insight into envelope-specific-nNAb Fc-mediated functions at the site of exposure which may inform on ensuing immunity during combination HIV prevention strategies including PrEP and HIV vaccines.

  July 6, 2020

  Antibody Related Research, HIV Vaccine, Microbicides, PrEP

  Frontiers in Immunology

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